The present disclosure relates to a method for transferring items to be packaged, especially blister packs, into containers, especially folding boxes, and for transporting the filled containers onward.
In the pharmaceutical industry, sealed blister packs are often used to store medications. These blister packs contain a plurality of pockets, in which the pharmaceutical products such as sugar-coated pills or tablets are placed. After they have been produced, these blister packs are usually sent during the further course of the packaging process to a packaging station, in which the individual blister packs or stacks of blister packs are introduced into folding boxes.
To introduce the blister packs into the folding boxes, the blister packs are transported along a first route by means of a transport device, whereas the folding boxes are transported along a second route, parallel to the first route, by means of a conveying device comprising appropriately formed holders for the folding boxes. The first and second routes are laid out with respect to each other in such a way that, at least at certain times, the blister packs or stacks of blister packs are arranged next to an open side of their assigned folding boxes. At that point, the blister packs are pushed laterally into their assigned folding boxes. The folding boxes containing the blister packs are then carried onward by the folding box conveying device. During the time that the blister packs are being inserted into the folding boxes, the transport device and the conveying device are either stationary or moving onward, next to each other, at the same speed.
Transport devices are also known in which slides are moved independently of each other along a guide rail. This is realized in that the guide rail comprises a linear motor drive device for driving the slides, wherein each slide comprises at least one permanent magnet, which interacts with the linear motor drive device. A transport device with a linear motor drive of this type is known from, for example, WO 2013/156177 A1.